Monday, August 15, 2011

WorldWorksGames new terrain

Worldworks Games came out with a rather snazzy looking new cardstock terrain set today. Specifically, the Podtel set.

I picked up the PDF for it, since I do plenty of sci-fi gaming and I figure it'll come in handy. It should work great with any Shadowrun/Rezolution/Infinity type of cyberpunk setting. And while I think it's a great looking set, and I'm glad to see Mr. Ebbles (aka Christopher Roe) already putting out awesome new sets after joing Worldworks, I do have one bit of beef with this set.

SwiftScenics? Really?

Now, with their redesign, WWG is promoting four basic product lines;
Terraclips - Pre-printed terrain that you buy in a box set and clip together with plastic connectors.
TerrainlinX - Essentially a build-your-own cardstock Lego set. Very versatile, very cool, but takes a long time to put a set together.
PropsMaster - 3D cardstock props to use with whatever.
SwiftSceneics - A "Print, Build, Play!" design, with simple exterior building terrain, made to be a quick and easy way to populate a table.

Now, the Podtel is not pre-printed, does not fit in with the TerrainlinX connectors, and is obviously more substantial than a set of boxes or cars or what have you. So the only category really left to put it into is the SwiftSceneic. However, SwiftSceneicsis supposed to be, as stated, "VERY quick to build" and easy to fill large game table with. The previous releases in the series fit this very well. They were modular, able to collapse for easy storage, and ran in at about nine to ten pages without addons. Each building had a 6"x6" footprint, and was about 8" high. Now, back to the Podtel.

Twenty-eight pages.

For roughly the same footprint, you have three times the amount of cardstock going into it. Also, each level consists of twenty four separate pieces that have to be cut, scored, folded and glued together. Old SwiftSceneics? Four pages, four walls. One roof, a pair of two-piece supports, and an optional baseplate. So while again, I can see the logic behind putting this set into the category that WWG did, it seems to me that it fits about as well as Bloodthirster having tea with a party of space marines.